Witness the spectacle: Pop superstar Katy Perry comes to North Little Rock with plenty of ‘razzmatazz’

Trips to outer space, inner space and even under the sea are in store as pop star Katy Perry visits Verizon Arena in North Little Rock on her "Witness" tour.

The "I Kissed a Girl" singer, who got her start performing gospel before morphing into a full-on, cartoon pop confection, will be joined by opening act Carly Rae Jepsen for an evening that Variety likened to "a stroll down the Las Vegas strip -- a razzmatazz of colors that draws the gaze of parents and kids alike, where fun implores you at every turn."

Also, Left Shark -- yessss! -- could make an appearance.

A native of Santa Barbara, Calif., Perry, 33, began her rise to supermegastardom in 2001, when she moved to Nashville, Tenn., and released her self-titled debut album under her birth name, Katy Hudson. It was a gospel album that moved about 200 copies before the label that released it, Red Hill Records, went under. She moved back to California and signed to Columbia, but was dropped before an album was released. She sang backup on a Mick Jagger song, "Old Habits Die Hard" and on the P.O.D. song "Goodbye for Now."

In 2007, Perry signed to Capitol and recorded One of the Boys, which contained the breakthrough single "I Kissed a Girl." The album sold seven million copies and the song was a perfect combination of Perry's Betty Boop-type appeal sprinkled with winking, adult themes and wrapped in a frothy, pop package. She married comedian Russell Brand in 2009 after the pair worked on the film Get Him to the Greek; they divorced 14 months later.

Teenage Dream, the follow-up to One of the Boys, was released in 2010, and included "California Gurls," a duet with Snoop Dogg, along with "E.T.," a duet with Kanye West. It also tied the record set by Michael Jackson's Bad for most No. 1 hits off one album (five). A massive tour ensued.

Prism, which included the single "Dark Horse," a collaboration with rapper Juicy J, was released in 2013.

Perry's 2015 performance at Super Bowl XLIX halftime show was the most-watched in Super Bowl history, with 118.5 million viewers and also gave the world the "Left Shark" meme, which featured one of Perry's backup dancers clumsily getting down in a shark suit.

Naturally, there has been controversy. A segment she filmed for Sesame Street was pulled when viewers who saw an advance clip became upset over the amount of cleavage she showed while singing a duet with Elmo. Somewhere along the way, she also developed a simmering feud with fellow pop star and former pal Taylor Swift (Swift's 2014 song "Bad Blood" is supposedly about Perry).

Perry's fans are called Katy Kats, and one Katy Kat grandmother is pretty excited for Friday's show.

Angel Galvan of Marianna is taking her 7-year-old granddaughter and Katy Perry fan, Emmie Galvan, to the concert. Emmie, who lives in Paragould, found out on Christmas that she would get to see Perry.

"I wrote a little note and put it in her Elf on the Shelf's hand that said 'We want you to have a Christmas that's merry, so we're giving you four tickets to go see Katy Perry,'" Angel Galvan says. "She was so excited. The look on her face was priceless, because she's a huge fan of Katy Perry."

It'll be a girls' night out as Emmie, who really likes "Dark Horse" and loves Jepsen's music, will be accompanied by Galvan; her aunt, Lauryn Galvan and mom, Alex Snyder.

It will also be Emmie's first time to see a concert of this scale.

"The only show that Emmie has ever been to like that is the Toad Suck Festival," Angel Galvan says. "She was rockin' out, so she's gonna really enjoy this."

Perry has called Witness, her 2016 album of dance-tinged jams "purposeful pop," and she live-streamed herself from her Los Angeles home for 96 hours before the record's June release (Billboard reported the YouTube stream received 49 million views).

The record, which wasn't exactly a critical favorite, nevertheless became Perry's third consecutive No. 1 LP and featured guest spots from Nicki Minaj on "Swish Swish" and Migos on "Bon Appetit."

The tour began in September. Earlier performances have featured Perry, bedazzled in a red outfit, gliding onto the stage on a star-shape sculpture. The production includes dancing puppets, '80s pop art references, Left Shark, Perry on a motorcycle and also emerging from a planet that descends from the arena ceiling.

Jepsen finished third on Canadian Idol in 2007 and had a hit with the ubiquitous "Call Me Maybe" in 2012. Her 2015 album, E•MO•TION, was a critical and commercial success that Pitchfork.com said was "as solid and spotless as any pop album you're likely to hear this year."

Style on 01/09/2018